Galesnjak, Croatia – This little islet may not immediately spring to mind as an ideal spot for romance, but a bird’s eye view of it will clue you in on why it’s one of the most romantic spots on Earth. This drop of land is perfectly heart-shaped, and no one lives on it, so it may just be the perfect desert island getaway you and your lover are looking for.

New York, USA – The harried pace of life in The Big Apple may not seem conducive to romance, but look closely enough, and you’ll find it in every corner. Whether you’re splashing out for a ride in a horse-drawn carriage or sharing a hotdog in the rain, you’ll be sure to have many moments to remember.

Prague, Czech Republic – The City of a Hundred Spires is an unashamedly romantic city, its endless cobbled streets and many bridges providing lovers with a beautiful backdrop to an unforgettable affair. Steal a kiss under an ancient spire, or wander through its centuries-old streets hand in hand just like countless other couples have done throughout the ages.

Venice, Italy – Venice and romance go together like, well, like a couple just meant for each other. A gondola ride while the sun sets may be too cheesy for words, but you can always hire a boat and explore the canals yourself. This way, you won’t have a noisy gondolier intruding on your romantic moments. Have dinner at a cosy little family-run restaurant by the water to cap off a wonderful day.

If it’s not one thing, it’s another. You think you’ve scored a great airfare to Europe, only to be hit with a fuel surcharge that adds almost a third onto the price. You show up at the airport, packed and ready to go, and discover that second bag you’re checking is going to add an additional $50 round-trip onto the cost of your trip. You’re desperately trying to budget for your big vacation, but every time you research possible airfares, the price has crept up, once again.

While there’s no way to avoid the fuel surcharge, and baggage charges on certain airlines can only be avoided by packing light (a good lesson for us all), airfares are slippery devils that can (sometimes) be tamed. The following tried-and-true methods should help you snag a decent — or possibly free — airfare, a ticket so low in price that — hopefully — those invidious extra charges won’t hurt so much.

Search smart
As creatures of habit, most of us tend to use the same travel sites over and over again. Problem is, there’s no one travel Web site that always provides the best airfare. Just because you once found a terrific fare to London on, say, Expedia, doesn’t guarantee that it won’t be undercut by Travelocity the next time. Or that the fares being sold directly on the sites of American Airlines, Delta, British Airways or what have you, might not offer the best value of all.

But searching multiple sites is not only time-consuming, it’s tedious. The solution? Surf to an “aggregator” site. These are Internet services that don’t sell travel. Instead, they simply “Google” airfares and other types of travel products, scanning all the prices offered by the individual airlines, as well as those from Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Opodo, Ebookers, Hotwire and the like. This results in a deeper and more impartial search. If you end up buying an airfare through one of the aggregators, you don’t pay a booking fee (as you will with the “Big Three”); instead, the site you purchased from pays a small finder’s fee to the aggregator site.

Among the many aggregator sites in business, I’ve had the best luck with Sidestep.com and its new owner, Kayak.com, as well as Mobissimo.com and Momondo.com. You’ll see why in the following searches I did recently. The savings range from piddling to impressive, but you’ll note that the aggregator always wins (and no, I didn’t cherry-pick these results):

*Chicago to Rome, Italy round-trip in mid-April
Orbitz price: $855, Sidestep price: $761. Savings: $94

*Cleveland to Houston, round-trip in late May
Travelocity price: $235, Kayak price: $230. Savings: $5

*Minneapolis to Cancun, round-trip in late March
Expedia price: $358, Sidestep price: $345. Savings: $10

*Las Vegas to Honolulu, round-trip in late June
Orbitz price: $492, Mobissimo price (found at Orbitz) $490. Savings: $2

*New York to Hong Kong, round-trip late August
Expedia price: $1,174, Mobissimo price $1,022. Savings: $152

Pretty interesting, huh? The point here is: You generally won’t miss out on a special being offered by the “Big Three” by searching in this fashion. If the price Orbitz, Expedia or Travelocity is offering is the best one, it will usually pop up on the aggregator sites, too.

Book at the right time
It’s no secret that there are seasons in travel, and that going to a destination at a time of year when no one else is going (October for the Caribbean, February for Europe, July for Australia, for example) is a sure way to save money. There are also often less expensive days to fly during the month; all of the Web sites mentioned above offer their users handy-dandy calendars to identify those dates.

But booking travel at the right time can also yield savings. When you book too far in advance, say 10 months before you plan to travel, the airlines know that you really want to travel at that time, and are unlikely to offer any discounts. The same with traveling at the very last minute: Most people who do book in the week or two before their departure have to travel…and so the crafty carriers take ’em for all they can.

Smartest time to purchase is between 24 days and two months of your departure. It’s during this period that the airlines are doing some soul searching … or at least yield management. You see, airfares are based on supply and demand (and, increasingly, fuel costs). If the demand is low on a certain set of flights, the airline execs don’t really start to panic until about six weeks in advance of those flights, and that’s when they throw a sale. Book too early or too late, and you won’t see ’em sweat.

Conversely, weekends are often the worst days of the week to book because a) you’re less likely to hit a new sale (the execs are home watering their lawns) and b) most Americans are off work on the weekend and therefore wait to book their travel until then. The airlines are aware of this pattern, and so prices can rise slightly on weekends.

One word on holiday fares: Throw all rules out the window for these. Fares are rarely discounted around Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July, and planes can sell out. For these periods, I recommend booking at least two and a half months in advance, to guarantee you get a seat. If low prices are a priority, book on the holiday itself. You may miss the turkey or the carols, but you’ll pay much less than those who flew in a comfortable day or two before the big event.

Don’t forget frequent-flier miles
I know, I know: Redeeming those “magic miles” can be an exercise in frustration. Ten times as many travelers as a decade ago are competing for a dwindling number of seats. (The airlines have always set aside roughly 11 percent of their inventory for award mileage members. However, most airlines are flying fewer and smaller planes today, in an attempt to maximize profits.) But when you do snag a mileage seat, that bit of good fortune can make the difference between being able to afford that vacation and not.

The keys to using your frequent-flier miles are flexibility and persistence. For most airlines, award mileage seats open up to booking 330 days in advance of departure. If you can, try to go online then to snag a seat. But don’t take a “no” as definitive. Yield management dictates when frequent-flier seats are released, and you may find that a “no” in April has transformed into a “yes” in May.

This is particularly true if you can be flexible about the dates you fly, and the airports you’re flying into. As I said before, flexibility is the secret to getting the most use from your miles.

Believe it or not, you can also be flexible in your choice of airlines; your reward miles won’t only work with the carrier you’re most loyal to, but also with their code-share partners. So if your miles are all with American Airlines, they will also work on Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, LAN Airlines, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Iberia and several others. If you’re with Delta, you can use Alaska Airlines, Avianca, China Airlines and Royal Air Maroc. People on the United program should look as well at US Airways, Air Canada, Air China, Lufthansa, SAS, bmi, THAI and a number of other carriers. Because the airlines don’t post the inventory from their partners online, book the old-fashioned way. Pick up a phone to call the reservations center and make it clear that you want to get the lay of the land, not just for the airline you’re calling, but also for its partners. Booking by phone will add about $25 to the cost of your ticket, but you’ll increase your chances of actually finding a flight by a good 30 percent.

Finally, the only way to use frequent-flier miles is to accumulate enough of them. So it’s a good idea to be loyal to one airline when you can and to work the system to build up a large stockpile of miles. This might include getting miles through a credit card, staying at hotels that offer air miles, buying groceries through stores that give miles (yup, you can actually do that), ordering flowers, getting magazine subscriptions … you name it. There are few activities in the inventory of American behavior today that don’t seem to have a mileage value attached! One warning about those mileage credit cards: They often come with significantly higher user fees attached. So if you’re the type of person who has difficulty paying bills on time, these cards may end up being downright dangerous.

However you get there, remember that in this case, it’s the destination and NOT the journey that’s important. Flying is only a means to an end, and that end is a worthy one: Experiencing the world.

The research is based on the reservations made for over 60 000 hotels and approximately 200 000 packages sold of Germany’s 75 largest tour operators.
The news announced by Manol Dimitrov, Chairperson of Tourism Information Centre and Union of the investors in Frankfurt.
Bulgarian success took place at the pages of the FVW (Fremdenverkehrswirtschaft International), the weightiest magazine, specialized in International tourism in Germany. Their article was named “Bulgaria sprints into the Top 10”.

Bulgaria, who used to be ranked 19th last year, jumped to the prestigious 8th place. “Research takes into account not only traveling done in 2007 but packages booked for recreation programs in March and April of next year, as well as for the summer 2008, Mr. Dimitrov commented.

Top of the ranking again this year were Spain and Turkey. Greece moved from 5th to 3rd place, while Egypt dropped one place from 3rd to 4th. The interest in traveling to Italy and Portugal has been reduced.

In the regions ranking the leading positions are occupied by the Turkish Riviera, Palma de Mallorca and Hurgada. Two of the Greek Islands entered top 10 – Crete moved from 12th to 4th place, and Rhodos attacked the 10th place with a jump up from 31st.
„Obviously, this success is due to the aggressive advertising campaign, that Greece promoted in Germany over the last two years, as well as the fact that Greece has big information centres in Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich “, Mr. Dimitrov added.

The German TUI catalogue “Bulgaria – Croatia” has provoked a huge interest in the International Fair of Tourism in Leipzig just few days ago. Over 40 Bulgarian hotels on the Black Sea coast were represented in it. Many of the 400 hotels, owned by members of the Union of Investors in the tourisms are presented in “All Tours” catalogue. The catalogues, mentioned above were virtually snapped by representatives of different tour operators, members of over 50’s groups, German-Bulgarian associations, visitors and regular customers of the Union of the investors in Frankfurt.

The GIATA ranking has been published only a week after “Times” had ranked Bulgaria 9th in the Top 10 of the most preferable destinations in the UK.

After a steady decrease over the summer, average European hotel prices have increased by 18 percent in September in comparison to the previous month. Nearly all of the most popular European cities have seen an increase in hotel rates. Paris, Venice and Stockholm are at their highest rates this year. Spain is the only country where hotel prices continue to decrease. These are the findings of the tHPI (trivago Hotel Price Index) which is published monthly by the hotel price comparison site trivago.co.uk.

The trivago Hotel Price Index shows that the average price for a standard double room in September is 106 pounds, 18 percent more than previous month. This shows a clear rise in prices within the hotel industry for the first time since the decline in prices which started in May. Even though hotel prices in September 2009 are ten percent less than this time last year, there was also a strong increase in hotel rates from August to September in 2008. This is due to the fact that September is a popular month for city trips.

Fairs and exhibitions are driving hotel prices up in Europe
In 46 of the 50 tHPI cities hotel prices have increased in comparison to the previous month. The most expensive European cities are Geneva (184 pounds), Venice (175 pounds) and Stockholm (150 pounds). These previously mentioned cities have reached their highest level this year. An obvious rise in comparison to the previous month can also be seen in Italian metropolises: In Milan hotel prices have increased by 41 percent to 145 pounds, in Venice by 33 percent (175 pounds) and in Rome by 31 percent (132 pounds). Asides from the growth of city tourism in September, large fairs and exhibitions account for the rise of hotel prices. For example, in Milan travellers can visit Fashion Week and Venice has an international film festival. Overall, hotel prices in Italy have increased by 13 percent in comparison to the previous month. Spain is an exception: Overnight accommodation prices are three percent cheaper than last month. The cheapest hotel rooms in Europe can currently be found in Granada (65 pounds), Krakow (66 pounds) and Valencia (71 pounds).

Hotel prices also increase in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the price for a standard double room has increased by four percent from 102 pounds to 106 pounds. Northern Ireland (93 pounds) is the cheapest country in the United Kingdom, followed closely by Wales (94 pounds) and England (119 pounds). Scotland has the highest average hotel rates in September (124 pounds), even though hotel prices have decreased by 40 percent to 120 pounds after the cultural festival in August. In English cities the largest rise in hotel prices can be seen in Birmingham (23 percent) and Manchester (20 percent); hotel prices have also increased in London (135 pounds).

1. Best beginners’ skiing – Arinsal, Andorra
60% of Brits fall into the `beginner’ category so an unpretentious resort like Arinsal, away from the glare of Europe’s superior skiers and prices that are among the best value in western Europe is ideal.

2. Best group ski resort – Soll, Austria
The Tyrolean resort of Soll is a great choice for a group of skiers travelling together. There is a good selection of properties that take groups and they vary from half board hotels to self catering apartments. All offer fantastic value for money. As well as this you can enjoy the lively apres ski while taking advantage of the short transfer to resort and the 250km of marked piste.
3. Best family ski resort – St. Johann, Austria
St. Johann is a great choice for a family, it’s main advantage being its location, just a little over an hour from Salzburg airport, with centrally located hotels, excellent English speaking ski schools and creche facilities . The ski lifts, ski school and ski creche, which operates in conjunction with the adult ski school, are all located within 100 metres of the centre.

4. Best value skiing – Pas de la Casa, Andorra
The prize for best value ski holidays and best value apres ski has to go Andorra for its duty free pricing, inexpensive, great value resorts. The happy hours, discos, lively cafes and restaurants also give the Andorran resort of Pas de la Casa its reputation as one of the liveliest resorts in the mountains.m

5. Best advanced skiing – Val d’Isere, France
Val d’Isere is a traditional village that is now a world famous draw for skiers from around the world. Home to the men’s downhill in the 1992 Olympics it offers extensive, world-class skiing, amazing powder and great opportunities for off-piste adventures.

6. Best apres ski – Livigno, Italy
Start early and finish late in the tax-free Italian resort of Livigno, with its reputation for great skiing, lively apres ski and numerous watering holes. The resort has access to over 100kms of pistes and even more bars, clubs and reasonably prices restaurants.

7. Best ski & spa – Bad Gastein, Austria
The Austrian spa town of Bad Gastein is world renowned for the healing powers of its natural thermal waters. Its snow record is pretty good too, which makes it a perfect ski and spa combination for those looking to relax after pounding the slopes.

8. Best glacier skiing – Tignes, France
Tignes is one of Europe’s premier destinations for glacier skiing with the Grand Motte glacier dominating the surrounding area giving it one of the longest ski seasons in Europe. The resort is served by the large well linked L’Espace Killy ski area and offers access to over 300km (190 miles) of pistes.

9. Best ski weekend – Lillehammer, Norway
The former Winter Olympic ski resort of Lillehammer has all the ingredients of a great ski weekend, with guaranteed snow from November through to April, great skiing, lovely hotels and a short airport transfer. Non-skiers can enjoy tobogganing, luge, sleigh rides, ice-skating and snowy walks.

10. Best non-ski activities – Zell am See, Austria
For non-skiers and those wanting to take a break from the slopes Zell am See has masses to offer, including tobogganing, bowling, a sports centre with indoor pool, ice-skating, snow shoeing, sleigh rides and cinema.

However a surge last-minute holiday bookings this summer has led to tourists reporting of huge price inflation, and in some cases not being able to find a suitable car.

Shortages are most prevalent in holiday locations in Spain, France and Italy, according to Hertz. In the UK, Scotland and the Lake District have also reported shortages.

This has led to prices in Spain rising as much as 70%, whilst on the Balearic Islands they have almost doubled.
“There’s a seasonal shortage of rental cars every summer, but it seems to be more acute this year because carmakers have cut production due to the uncertain economy,” said Michel Taride, president of Hertz Europe.

“There has been a big increase in domestic and US inbound travel, and holidaymakers are deciding to go away at the last minute.”

John Lewis, chairman the car rental industry body Lease Europe said: “Small cars in particular are in very short supply, and it’s often cheaper to take a larger car, rather than the small ones people go for because they presume they’ll be cheaper,” Mr Atkinson said.

It is therefore obvious that the cheaper vacation countries are proving popular with German visitors. Within Europe it is Spain, with 10.6 per cent, maintaining a narrow lead over Italy, with 10 per cent. Austria is in third place with 6.8 per cent. Despite the difficult economic situation long-haul travel seems to be almost as popular as ever. Compared with last year only 0.5 per cent fewer Germans are planning a trip to far-off destinations, with the USA still occupying the top spot, thanks to a weak dollar and the positive Obama effect. To an increasing extent the price is the deciding factor for long-haul travellers too, with 28.3 per cent of those questioned looking for tour operators who are offering cheaper deals. For trips within Europe 22 per cent of travellers are seeking low-priced offers, while 15.8 per cent are on the look out for bargains on holidays in Germany.

There are savings to be made across a broad front during the coming season. “In general holiday travel will be cheaper next winter”, is the forecast by Dr. Martin Buck for travel over the next six months. “All the leading tour operators have announced price cuts averaging between three and five percent, due to falling hotel rates and air fares, and these savings will be passed on to the customers.”

During the economic crisis, the satisfaction of guests with the performance of the hotels in which they have stayed has risen around the world. Obviously the economic crisis has led to hotel customers believing hotels are offering greater value for money than before. The average of all ratings submitted by customers who had made bookings in the largest 20 major cities of the world has improved from 6.69 points at the end of 2008 to 7.11 points (out of a possible 10) now.

One reason could be the cheaper room prices caused by the recession, since these have fallen by an average of 8-10% since the beginning of the crisis last autumn. After all, the price is an important factor when it comes to assessing the value for money of a hotel. Another factor, however, is that the indicator seems to show that hotels go out of their way to help their guests more in times of crisis – after all, the numbers of travellers have definitely fallen. It is now much more important to fight for every individual customer, in view of the harder competitive environment.

Another interesting aspect is that while the economic crisis has caused many hoteliers to tighten their financial belts, the ensuing job cuts have in no way curtailed the hotels’ levels of customer service.

Given a global comparison, hotel guests regard hotels in Lisbon, Portugal, as providing the best value for money. The Portuguese capital, and its German counterpart, Berlin, pushed the leader from the end of 2008, Tokyo (Japan) back into third place. Major cities such as New York, Moscow and London disappointed in contrast, not even making it into the top 20. Even the major European centres of Paris, Amsterdam and Stockholm in Sweden fell from the top 20, being replaced by Madrid, Helsinki and Dubai. Last year’s UK top two, Bournemouth and Southampton, remained unchanged at the top of the tree.

In the UK, too, the hotel.info Hotel Value for Money Index has returned some unanticipated results. While the winner Bournemouth (7.78) beat competition from Coventry (storming up from 14th to 3rd), Glasgow and Portsmouth to the top spot, Birmingham, Oxford, London and Brighton recorded below-average results and are back in the bottom third of the national ranking. Obviously the hotel trade in these destinations is continuing to offer below-average value for money.

Overall, hotels in major UK cities fared only moderately well at an international level in terms of value for money. In comparison with the 7.33 average score for the major cities from all of the countries represented in the study (including Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, the USA and China), the UK result, with a value for money index rating of just 6.71, is significantly below the average country score, and is thus only one place above the bottom in a table of 15 comparable countries.

hotel.info Global Top 20 (major cities)
2009 (middle of year)
1. Lisbon 7,83
2. Berlin 7,75
3. Tokyo 7,74
4. Prague 7,73
5. Beijing 7,54
6. Budapest 7,45
7. Warsaw 7,37
8. Dublin 7,31
9. Madrid 7,29
10. Athens 7,25
11. Vienna 7,23
12. Ottawa 7,20
13. Istanbul 7,15
14. Helsinki 7,09
15. Zagreb 7,08
16. Bangkok 7,07
17. Singapore 6,88
18. Rome 6,85
19. Washington 6,56
20. Dubai 6,47

Lonely Planet’s “Travel With Children” guide lists the top 10 cities around the world that are ideal to visit with children. This list is not endorsed by Reuters:

1. Oaxaca, Mexico
This colorful Mexican city is pint-sized, charming and fun to explore on foot. A central plaza provides plenty of run-around space for kids and there’s a vibrant market.

2. Istanbul, Turkey
With its mosques, palaces, museums, bazaars, multicolored carpets, food markets, Bosphorus cruises and sweet apple tea, the children will be fascinated and enchanted at every turn.

3. London
You could stay in London for a whole year and find interesting things to do with the children every day. In summer don’t miss out on playing in the fountains at Somerset House where there’s an outdoor ice-skating rink in the winter.

4. Los Angeles
A good destination for teenagers — choose between the original Disneyland, Universal Studios and Santa Monica. There’s heaps to see and do in this sprawling city that encapsulates the American Dream.

5. Vancouver, B.C.
Vancouver is frequently named the most liveable city in the world. There’s lots of water as well as beaches, a huge urban park (Stanley Park) and numerous hiking and biking trails. In addition, all the attractions of the Rocky Mountains are just over 100 km (62 miles) away.

6. Lisbon, Portugal
With trams trundling up to a castle, a state-of-the-art aquarium and a fascinating museum that explores Portugal’s great seafaring past, this city captivates kids. The fairy-tale town of Sintra, too, is a just a short train ride away.

7. Copenhagen, Denmark
Oozes old-world charm, with a compact city center, a lively waterfront and pedestrian-only zones. Thrilling rides at Tivoli Gardens and Bakken, a royal palace and museums designed especially for children will keep you busy.

8. Singapore
Safe, clean and accessible, Singapore is a gentle introduction to the cities of Southeast Asia — and an excellent jetlag-busting pit stop on the long haul between Europe and Australasia. Also, Sentosa Island with its beaches, butterfly park, dolphin lagoon and underwater world has to be seen to be believed.

9. Sydney
If beaches, swimming pools and numerous ferries aren’t enough, there’s Sydney Aquarium, Taronga Zoo and the Koala Park Sanctuary, which are all huge hits with the young ones.

10. Rome
With some of Italy’s best gelato, the impressive Colosseum and Castel Sant-Angelo, spooky catacombs under Via Appia Antica and the green spaces of Villa Borghese, the challenge in Rome is not to do too much.

It is therefore obvious that the cheaper vacation countries are proving popular with German visitors. Within Europe it is Spain, with 10.6 per cent, maintaining a narrow lead over Italy, with 10 per cent. Austria is in third place with 6.8 per cent. Despite the difficult economic situation long-haul travel seems to be almost as popular as ever. Compared with last year only 0.5 per cent fewer Germans are planning a trip to far-off destinations, with the USA still occupying the top spot, thanks to a weak dollar and the positive Obama effect. To an increasing extent the price is the deciding factor for long-haul travellers too, with 28.3 per cent of those questioned looking for tour operators who are offering cheaper deals. For trips within Europe 22 per cent of travellers are seeking low-priced offers, while 15.8 per cent are on the look out for bargains on holidays in Germany.

There are savings to be made across a broad front during the coming season. “In general holiday travel will be cheaper next winter”, is the forecast by Dr. Martin Buck for travel over the next six months. “All the leading tour operators have announced price cuts averaging between three and five percent, due to falling hotel rates and air fares, and these savings will be passed on to the customers.”